Clinton Heads To Washington; Pat Robertson Calls Haiti ‘Cursed’
WASHINGTON -Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says she is cutting short an extended trip to the Asia-Pacific to deal with the earthquake crisis in Haiti.
Clinton told reporters in Hawaii on Wednesday that she would return to Washington to help oversee U.S. relief efforts instead of continuing on to Papua New Guinea, Australia and New Zealand as she had planned. President Barack Obama has directed his administration to provide all aid necessary to assist in relief efforts.
Clinton had not been due to return to the U.S. until next week.
Meanwhile,evangelical broadcaster Pat Robertson says Haiti has been “cursed” because of what he called a “pact with the devil” in its history.
His spokesman said the Wednesday comments were based on Voodoo rituals carried out before a slave rebellion against French colonists in 1791.
Spokesman Chris Roslan says Robertson never stated that Tuesday’s earthquake was God’s wrath. He says Robertson’s Operation Blessing group is sending millions of dollars in medication and relief workers to the country.
Robertson has angered opponents many times before with comments on current events and criticism of other faiths.
He once said American agents should assassinate Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and said Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s stroke was divine retribution for withdrawing from the Gaza Strip.
